Last year the Olympic Games propelled London into the spotlight. It brought Britain and the rest of the world together, uniting us in a summer of hope and glory. The legacy was to “Inspire a Generation” and the spirit that went with the event did not endwith the closing ceremony.

This summer has already seen a run of British sporting triumphs: Andy Murray’s historic Wimbledon win, Chris Froome’s Tour de France victory, the Ashes cricket success, the British Lions rugby triumph and golfer Justin Rose’s US Open win, which along with the birth of a royal baby and the longest heatwave in seven years, means spirits remain as high as they were last year.

The Olympic Park, built as a sporting complex for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, was temporarily closed to the public after the Games but has now been transformed into Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, providing London with a new space for major sporting events, music festivals and more.

Last weekend the park was used for the National Lottery Anniversary Run, the first sporting event since the conclusion of London 2012. This weekend it will host the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games, three days of world-class athletics on the anniversary of the Opening Ceremony. The games will see the return of many Olympic champions, with Sunday being dedicated to the Paralympic champions. Alongside this is the Open East Festival, a weekend celebrating the first anniversary of the Olympic Games and the reopening of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Here, along with entertainment, family activities, art and food, you can watch the Anniversary Games live on screen.

The park has already hosted huge music festivals this summer including Hard Rock Calling, Wireless and Electric Daisy Carnival. Other events still to come in the Olympic Park include:

Ride London – On the first weekend in August, professional and amateur cyclists will gather in London for a brand new, world-class festival of cycling

The park will be used for a range of huge sporting events – including boxing, hockey and basketball

Other Olympic Venues

Wimbledon Following on from his gold win at the Olympic Games, there was national pride for Andy Murray again this year as he became the first British man to win Wimbledon for 77 years. Visit the site where history was made at the Lawn Tennis Museum and Tour of the grounds.

Horse Guards Parade Usually used for royal parades and ceremonies, during the Olympic Games Horse Guards Parade was transformed into a temporary arena for beach volleyball. At this historic site you can see Changing the Guard most mornings.

Wembley Stadium The stadium was used for football matches during the Olympic Games and continues to be used for high profile matches including, in August: the FA Community Shield, England v Scotland and the Challenge Cup Final. Take a tour of this famous stadium and walk in the footsteps of some of the world’s top footballers; go behind the scenes in the changing rooms, then walk through the players’ tunnel.

During the ceremony, more than 3,000 participants brought Sir Isaac Newton’s garden, the Large Hadron Collider and the Big Bang to life in a celebration of science and its capacity to change perceptions.

The Graeae Theatre Company, based only a few miles from the Olympic Stadium in Hackney, performed an explosive cover of Ian Dury and The Blockheads’ “Spasticus Artisticus”. The company champions the inclusion of deaf and disabled performers in the arts thorough new plays and training initiatives. Graeae and their incredible sway poles can be seen this September in The Garden, part of Unlimited Festival at Southbank Centre.

Also appearing at Unlimited Festival, leading disabled dancer David Toole performed a solo dance while 16-year-old singer-songwriter Birdy performed “Bird Gerhl”. In perhaps the most stunning moment of the night, David ascended into the air supported by wires and “flew” above a stadium floor packed with the world’s Paralympians. You can see the incredible David Toole in a brand new work, The Impending Storm, on 7 and 8 September at the Southbank Centre.

Did you enjoy the London 2012 Paralympic Opening Ceremony? Let us know what you thought in the comments section below.

]]>http://blog.visitlondon.com/2012/08/welcome-back-world-highlights-of-the-london-2012-paralympic-games-opening-ceremony/feed/0Whatâ€™s On in London This Weekend: 31 August-2 September 2012http://blog.visitlondon.com/2012/08/whats-on-in-london-this-weekend-31-august-2-september-2012/
http://blog.visitlondon.com/2012/08/whats-on-in-london-this-weekend-31-august-2-september-2012/#commentsThu, 30 Aug 2012 09:56:57 +0000http://blog.visitlondon.com/?p=28809

This weekend’s a corker: the Paralympic Games have arrived, St Paul’s is open late and Kings Cross is staging a festival with a truly delicious concept.

Summer Lates at St Paul’s CathedralTake advantage of extended opening hours and free entry at St Paul’s Cathedral on selected nights during the Paralympic Games. Sir Christopher Wren‘s English Baroque masterpiece tends to invoke hushed awe, so it’s appropriate that the Summer Lates openings are intended for quiet reflection. Guides and priests will be on hand to explain the cathedral’s history and spiritual life, while organ notes drift around you. The cathedral floor will be open from 6pm until 9pm with a short service at 8.45pm, and the cool underground crypt will be selling “Best of British” refreshments until 10pm.31 Aug, 3 Sep and 7 Sep

London Live at Trafalgar SquareAs the Paralympic Games take the stage in the UK’s sporting summer, BT London Live has moved its site offering free London 2012 celebrations to Trafalgar Square. You’ll be able to try out Paralympic sports like sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis, chill out to live music or watch coverage of the Paralympics on a giant screen. It’s free entry and unticketed – just turn up.Until 9 Sep

King’s Cross Ice Cream FestivalThe organisers of the King’s Cross Ice Cream festival don’t just want you to eat the cool white stuff. They’re calling on ice cream fans to get hands on with the creative process, from milking a cow at the petting farm to experimenting with the latest nitrogen technologies to whip up some frozen delights. The festival is being held in the new Granary Square in Kings Cross and will showcase the best local ice creams from London and the South East.1-2 Sep

Chelsea AutoLegendsClassic cars will take over Royal Hospital Chelsea‘s grounds on Sunday, as the third Chelsea AutoLegends event brings motoring fever to west London. The bill includes supercar and rally car parades and the chance to meet celebrities like five-times Le Mans winner Derek Bell. One exciting addition is the festival’s new celebration of women in motorsport, fronted by model and race driver Jodie Kidd. Another highlight will be seeing Bloodhound SCC, a car that looks like a rocket with good reason: its team are trying to break the elusive 1000mph speed barrier.2 Sep

]]>http://blog.visitlondon.com/2010/08/tv-star-to-become-a-volunteer-at-london-2012-paralympics/feed/2Mayor of London Celebrates Two-Year Countdown to Paralympics with a Game of Bocciahttp://blog.visitlondon.com/2010/08/mayor-of-london-celebrates-two-year-countdown-to-paralympics-with-a-game-of-boccia/
http://blog.visitlondon.com/2010/08/mayor-of-london-celebrates-two-year-countdown-to-paralympics-with-a-game-of-boccia/#commentsTue, 24 Aug 2010 10:00:26 +0000http://blog.visitlondon.com/?p=13612

The multi-talented Mayor of London Boris Johnson today turned his hand to Boccia, the uniquely Paralympic sport, in celebration of the two-year countdown to the start of the Paralympic Games.

Joined by Paralympian wheelchair basketball player, Ade Adepitan, Johnson played the game – which is similar to bowls – on a full size Boccia court in Trafalgar Square.

If you fancy yourself as the next Boccia star or you want to see the GB Boccia gold medalists Dan Bentley, Zoe Robinson and David Smith in action, head to Trafalgar Square this morning.

]]>http://blog.visitlondon.com/2010/08/mayor-of-london-celebrates-two-year-countdown-to-paralympics-with-a-game-of-boccia/feed/0London 2012 to Recruit 70,000 Volunteershttp://blog.visitlondon.com/2010/07/london-2012-to-recruit-70000-volunteers/
http://blog.visitlondon.com/2010/07/london-2012-to-recruit-70000-volunteers/#commentsSat, 10 Jul 2010 10:30:02 +0000http://blog.visitlondon.com/?p=11836London 2012 organisers are set to recruit 70,000 volunteers for the Olympic and Paralympic Games – the biggest voluntary recruitment drive since the Second World War.

The volunteers, known as Games Makers, will be split into specialist (medical, anti-doping, sport or press operations) and generalist (spectator assistants, uniform distributors and ticket checking) roles. There will also be up to 1,500 roles for young unpaid workers under the age of 18.

The volunteers will be selected and trained by fast-food giant McDonalds.

Seb Coe, Chair of London 2012 said: “London 2012 needs brilliant volunteers to help us deliver a great Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“Our volunteers will be called Games Makers to reflect the important role they will play in staging the 2012 Games.”

Lord Coe added: “The programme to find our Games Makers will launch on 27 July 2010 and I urge anyone who is interested to come to our website from that day onwards to find out everything they need to know about volunteering in 2012.”

Pre-identified applicants for specialist roles can apply from 27 July 2010 onwards. Applications for generalist roles will open on 15 September 2010.

Swimmer Ellie Simmonds, who won two gold medals at the Beijing Paralympics, says, â€œI am proud to be a Paralympian and to be a member of the Paralympians’ Club. Not only does the club offer some great benefits, but it’s great for the public as they can use the website to find out more about us.”

ParalympicsGB chief executive Phil Lane added, â€œWe suspect there could be as many as 1,700 Paralympians out there who we are not in contact with. Who knows, there could be someone in your town that represented Britain at the Paralympic Games.â€

Sainsbury’s has been announced as the first-ever Paralympic-only sponsor for the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games.

LOCOG said this week that the UK supermarket chain will utilise its network of more than 850 stores to help promote the Paralympic Games in the run up to 2012 and will make Paralympic Games and ParalympicsGB merchandise available across the UK.

The Sainsbury’s pledge represents the largest sponsorship of any Paralympic Games to date.

LOCOG Chair Seb Coe said: “The support for the Paralympic Games in the UK is incredible and I’m thrilled that we are now in a position to confirm our first stand-alone Paralympics sponsor.”

Sainsbury’s CEO Justin King said: “We are delighted to be the official sponsor of the 2012 London Paralympic Games. The vision on which the Paralympic Movement was founded complements Sainsbury’s commitment to promote a healthy, fitter lifestyle across all ages and abilities. Together with our customers and colleagues, we look forward to supporting a successful 2012 Paralympic Games.”